Brian "Barney" Olphert Kemmis Reeves

Barney’s wonderful life ended August 3 when he passed on and rose to the big mountain in the sky, following a short period of rapid decline of his health.

Barney was known for his brilliant mind and goat-like hiking skills. He was a visionary and a groundbreaker in his professional career as an archaeologist. He was a leader in the Waterton community serving as chair (“mayor”) of Improvement District #4 for about 20 years. For nearly 58 years, he was a supportive and devoted husband to his wife, Mary Ann. He so loved his daughter Anne, he thought she was nearly perfect! He embraced Jay, Anne’s husband, as one of his own, and became extremely proud of his two grandsons, Lucas and Cody.

Barney was born in Lethbridge and attended the Waterton schoolhouse until Grade 7. When the school closed the upper grades, his parents, Harry and Sibyl, sent him to University School on Vancouver Island for grades 8 and 9. From there, he completed his high school years at Mount Royal Boarding School in Calgary.

Barney held four university degrees, (BSc Geology, BA Philosophy, MA, PhD Archaeology) and continued throughout his lifetime to develop his wide understanding and knowledge of the world in general. He had an eidetic memory that allowed him to recall amazing details, dates and context of nearly everything he read or learned. He was ever curious about the world, reading extensively about politics, global warming, and just about anything else that interested him. One winter in Molokai, he decided to learn all the butterflies of Molokai, and he did. Once back in Waterton Park, he gathered all the literature on the butterflies of Alberta and learned the names of the approximate 175 butterflies that appear in Waterton Park.

He was truly a high performer, beginning his career as an academic, he soon advanced to the rank of Professor of Archaeology at the University of Calgary. He became an excellent teacher and taught for 30 years, but academic life did not entirely suit him, so in 1972 he founded the first and longest standing historical and resource consulting firm, Lifeways of Canada Ltd. In 1994, he took an early leave from the University (he was subsequently appointed Professor Emeritus), to take on the role of President for Lifeways, a position he held until he sold the company to his senior staff. Lifeways celebrated their 50th anniversary last Christmas in Banff where Barney talked about his motivation for starting the company; Barney wanted to provide an opportunity for those with an undergraduate degree in archaeology to obtain full time work in their chosen field.

Barney was preeminent in his knowledge and practice of field archaeology. He was masterful in his research, and it was rare for him to miss something that allowed him to make authoritative statements on whatever he was studying at the time. He often expressed disappointment that he wasn’t challenged more in his research; this meant that no one had either read or understood the background research on their own in order to be able to question his interpretation.

Working with the Blackfeet Nation, he soon developed an integral and close relationship with members of the elders of the Piikani Blackfoot nation at Brocket, AB. He was especially close to Margaret Plain Eagle with whom he spent many days over many years talking about the history of her native people – from both points of view. He was blessed by Joe Crow Shoe and given the name Paahtomahsikimi (Big inside lake, referring to Upper Waterton Lake).

Numerous awards for his professional work and for his community work were bestowed upon Barney throughout his lifetime.

Anyone who came to dinner at Trail’s End was usually in for a treat.  Barney and Mary Ann developed, soon after their daughter Anne was born, a love and interest for cooking a number of world cuisines, which they tested, tried and researched. True to form, he wanted to learn more about cooking, so he purchased and read numerous cookbooks, but this was not enough, so he convinced a partner to open Calgary’s first kitchen store and cooking school, “Culinary Arts”, that became one of the top 5 in Canada. Among the cuisines B mastered were: Szechwan, New Mexican (he learned all the NM chilies), Mexican (he learned the chilies of Mexico), Moroccan, and Mediterranean. To test his culinary skills, he entered a few chili contests, but his chili was too hot for most pallets.

Barney was always an avid and voracious reader and frequently recommended a book to just about anyone, on any topic, fiction or non-fiction, that he thought might perk their interest.

He lacked ego and had a non-judgemental approach to everything did throughout his lifetime. Although his frequent dress code was that of a hiker/outdoors man, regardless of the event, he was, by contrast, well-schooled by both his mother and grandmother in English table manners and social etiquette and expected his family and others to follow suite.

Barney’s love for Waterton never wavered and it became the touch stone and the binding force for Barney and MaryAnn in their 58 years together. He leaves extensive legacies in Waterton and in his professional field and will be greatly missed.

A Service will be held at 12:00 pm, Thursday, August 10, 2023, at the WATERTON UNITED CHURCH, 108 CLEMATIS AVENUE, Waterton Park, Alberta, followed by a Reception from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm at the BAYSHORE INN, 111 WATERTON AVE.

In lieu of flowers, donate to the Nature Conservancy of Canada

https://secure.natureconservancy.ca/site/Donation2?df_id=4285&mfc_pref=T&4285.donation=form1